BJP Slams NCP-SP's Jitendra Awhad For Controversial Remarks Against Sanatan Dharma

A political storm erupted on Saturday (2 August) as BJP leaders have reacted sharply to NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad's controversial remarks on Sanatan Dharma.

Awhad courted controversy after allegedly making remarks criticising “Sanatan Dharma”, arguing that Hinduism is different from it.

"Sanatan Dharma has ruined India. There was never any religion called Sanatan Dharma. We are followers of Hindu Dharma. It was this so‑called Sanatan Dharma that denied our Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj his coronation. This Sanatan Dharma defamed our Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj," Awhad was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"The followers of this Sanatan Dharma tried to assassinate Jyotirao Phule. They threw cow dung and filth at Savitribai Phule. This very Sanatan Dharma conspired to kill Shahu Maharaj. It did not even allow Dr BR Ambedkar to drink water or attend school. It was Babasaheb Ambedkar who finally rose against Sanatan Dharma, burned the Manusmriti, and rejected its oppressive traditions," Awhad said.

"The creator of Manusmriti himself emerged from this Sanatani tradition. One must not be afraid to say openly that Sanatan Dharma and its Sanatani ideology are perverted," he added, ANI reported.

The BJP responded sharply to Awhad's controversial remarks. Party leader Ram Kadam said Awhad’s remarks were “based on an incomplete study of the scriptures” and accused him of defaming Sanatana Dharma for political gains.

Another BJP leader and former minister Raj K Purohit said, “Jitendra Awhad gets elected from a region where the majority population is Muslim. To appease the community, he makes such statements", The Hindustan Times reported.

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